Classic Hits

Looks like The Beatles are on track for another #1.

The legendary rockers recently reissued their two greatest hits compilations, 1962-1966 (The Red Album) and 1967-1970 (The Blue Album), and early numbers suggest one of them will debut on top of the U.K. Official Albums chart.

If things stay on track, the remastered 1967-1970 will take the #1 position, one better than its original peak of #2 in May 1973. The release, which features the “final” Beatles song, “Now and Then,” would be the group’s 16th U.K. #1.

And that won’t be the band’s only charting album this week. The reissue of 1962-1966 is on track to debut at #2, with a box set that contains both expected to hit #9.

The new chart milestone comes after “Now and Then” debuted at #1 on the U.K. Official Singles chart, setting a new record for the longest gap between number ones. Their last #1 happened 54 years ago with 1969’s “The Ballad of John & Yoko.”

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KISS is getting ready to say goodbye to the road next month, but Gene Simmons insists that won’t be the end of KISS.  

“This tour is the end of the road for the band, not the brand,” he tells Canada’s 519 magazine. “KISS is a universe of its own—movies, merchandise, maybe even Broadway. The band will end, but the KISS experience … it’s immortal.”

And fans will even get to experience KISS onstage again, it just won’t be Simmons and his bandmates.

“The KISS show will live on in different ways,” he explains. “It’ll also be four to ten different traveling shows. So, you’ll be able to be in Japan and have Japanese actors, musicians being us, and at the same time you could go to Vegas or New York or London.” 

When it comes to the final shows, many fans have been upset that original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss haven’t been part of them — and it turns out Simmons feels the same way.

While he says they’ve always been welcome, he blames their absence on “egos, personalities, addictions.” 

“I feel sad and angry that both Ace and Peter aren’t here. I mean, they’re alive, but they’re not here to enjoy this unbelievable journey with us,” he says. “They were there at the beginning and deserve all the credit. And when they look in the mirror, the only reason they’re not here with us is themselves.”  

KISS’ End of the Road tour hits Winnipeg on November 15. It wraps December 1 and 2 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, with the final date streaming live worldwide. A complete list of dates can be found at kissonline.com.

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It’s been 30 years since The Kinks released a new album, but it sounds like fans shouldn’t rule out the possibility of new music in the future.

In a new interview with NME, Ray Davies reveals he’s been recording “home demos” with his bandmates — brother Dave Davies and drummer Mick Avery — since the ’90s, and they may one day see the light of day. 

“We’ve got loads of songs there in pieces,” he says, with Avery describing them as “punchy” rock tunes and “mid-tempo rock ballads.” 

Ray says in total, there are about 20 songs, but it doesn’t sound like he knows when they’ll come out.

“There are about two or three songs I want to finish,” he shares, “and when they’re finished, I’ll put the whole thing together.”

In the meantime, Kinks fans can enjoy experiencing their classic catalog with the upcoming release of The Journey – Part 2 on November 17. The set features songs handpicked by the trio, including some B-sides and album tracks. It is available for preorder now.

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On This Day, November 15, 1980… 

Blondie landed their fifth U.K. #1 single with “The Tide Is High,” from their fifth studio album, Autoamerican. It would be another 18 years before Blondie topped the U.K. chart again, landing at #1 in 1999 with the track “Maria.”

“The Tide Is High” was a cover of a 1967 song originally performed by the Jamaican group The Paragons, with the tune’s songwriter John Holt singing lead on the track.

Blondie’s version of “The Tide Is High” also went on to hit #1 in the U.S., becoming their third and final #1 single. It also topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand.

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If you’re looking for the perfect gift for the Deadhead in your life, a new auction may make shopping a little easier.

ANALOGr.com is launching a new auction, Live: Dead, on November 30, celebrating the history and impact of the Grateful Dead. The auction will include memorabilia from the archives of the band and members Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, as well as Rat Dog’s Rob Wasserman and Dead engineer Dan Healy.

Some of the items up for auction include a functioning one-quarter-scale replica of the original Wall of Sound system, designed in 1973 by Owsley “Bear” Stanley specifically for The Dead’s live shows. There will also be a Jerry Garcia touring guitar rig, Wally Heider Studios recording equipment, over 1,100 unused backstage passes from 1977 to 1995, official vintage Dead T-shirts from as far back as 1978, photography, art and posters.

A VIP preview of all the items being auctioned off will take place November 27 at Soho House Warehouse in downtown Los Angeles, with the auction opening November 30 at 10 p.m. PT. The auction will wrap with a special invite-only event on December 2, featuring a performance by The Dead cover band The People’s Dead.

More info can be found at ANALOGr.com.

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Earlier this month, The Rolling Stones teased fans with a post sharing the website crossfirehurricane.com. While some were hoping the band was hinting at a tour, there’s no tour news just yet. But they are giving fans something else: booze. 

Crossfire Hurricane is actually a newly launched Caribbean rum created by the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers. It is a blend of rums from Jamaica, Barbados and the Dominican Republic, which are aged in oak barrels.

“To us, the Caribbean is more than just a beautiful place. It’s a part of our story,” Mick Jagger and Keith Richards share on the rum’s website. “This aged, blended rum is our tribute to the islands that have inspired us for decades. Enjoy it neat, on the rocks or in the cocktail of your choosing – but never in silence.”

And the band is even giving you ideas on how to use the new rum, with the website offering up recipes for four different cocktails: the Two Licks, Gold and Stormy, Crossfire Mojito and Crossfire Espresso Martini. 

Crossfire Hurricane is available to order now.

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Bon Jovi is getting into the Christmas spirit. The rockers just announced they’ll be releasing a new, original holiday tune, “Christmas Isn’t Christmas,” on Friday, November 17.

This isn’t the first time Bon Jovi has helped soundtrack the holidays. Previously released Christmas tunes by the band include the original track “I Wish Everyday Could Be Like Christmas” and covers of “Please Come Home For Christmas” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”

In 2020, frontman Jon Bon Jovi released a Christmas EP, aptly titled A Jon Bon Jovi Christmas, which featured three songs, “Christmas All Over Again,” “Fairytale of New York” and “If I Get Home on Christmas Day.”

“Christmas Isn’t Christmas” is available for preorder now. Those who order it will be entered for a chance to win one of three Bon Jovi Monopoly sets, autographed by Jon.

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Here’s a tour Van Halen fans won’t want to miss. Sammy Hagar is set to front The Best of All Worlds Tour, where he’ll be joined by Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Joe Satriani.

Coming on the heels of the recent box set The Collection II, which highlighted the Hagar-era Van Halen albums, the 28-date tour will have the group playing Van Halen classics along with tunes from Hagar’s other bands The Circle and Chickenfoot.

“It’s crazy to think that it’ll be 20 years since Mikey and I played these songs with Van Halen on the 04’ Best of Both Worlds Tour,” Hagar shares. “With Joe on board, we can take a deeper dive into those years. We’re going to touch on some hits from my entire career but seeing fans old and new really embrace the new collection set off something in Mikey and I.”

He adds, “The music we created is going to outlive us all. They deserve to be heard so it’s time we go out and serve the fans that music, while we still can.”

The tour, featuring special guest Loverboy, kicks off July 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida, and wraps August 31 in St. Louis, Missouri.

A ticket presale kicks off Wednesday, November 15, at 10 a.m., with the general onsale happening Friday, November 17, at 10 a.m. A complete list of dates can be found at redrocker.com.

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On This Day, November 14, 2006… 

Led Zeppelin and Rod Stewart were among the inductees who entered the U.K. Music Hall of Fame, which honored musicians of all nationalities for their lifetime contributions to music in the United Kingdom

The ceremony took place at Alexandria Palace in London, with Queen’s Roger Taylor inducting Zeppelin and guitarist Jimmy Page on hand to accept the award.

Stewart was inducted by U.K. artist James Morrison, who performed “The First Cut Is the Deepest” and “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy. He accepted his award via satellite from Los Angeles.

Other inductees that year included Bon Jovi, Prince, Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, James Brown and Dusty Springfield, with The Beatles producer George Martin receiving an honorary membership.

The 2006 ceremony was the last one to be held.

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AC/DC fans want to help the rock band get to #1 for their 50th anniversary.

Back in 2013 for the band’s 40th anniversary, the Facebook fan group AC/DC We Salute You launched a campaign to get the classic AC/DC single “Highway To Hell” to the top of the U.K. chart, ultimately getting it to #4. Now in honor of the half-century milestone, they are trying again.

“We’re going to choose another track and see if we can get 3 places higher for their 50th anniversary,” they write. “Are you in?”

Not long after posting their new mission, a new public Facebook group, AC/DC for Christmas No. 1, launched with the aim of getting the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers the illustrious Christmas chart topper in the U.K. And the group quickly began to take off, now reaching over 1,000 members. 

The page notes, “What better way to celebrate AC/DC’s 50th anniversary than to stick them on top of the Christmas Tree!”

So far the Facebook group hasn’t chosen the song they want to focus on for the #1, but fans have already shared their thoughts. Among the suggestions: “Hells Bells,” “Long Way to The Top” and “Thunderstruck.”

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